If that quote soars over your head, I don’t want to know you. The infamous Seinfeld incident in which an eager-to-impress George reveals to his colleagues that he’s not a team player (at the same time sparing himself from becoming violently ill), riffs on the homogeneity of upper office environments. The forced social collectivization of a corporate in-group.

Climb the ladder high enough and you’ll wear the same brands, enjoy the same timepieces, drink the same booze, and golf the same courses. Or so the perhaps dated view of these things goes. Now, what about cars?

A number of months ago an email made the rounds on social media. In this correspondence, an employee of a supposedly successful and image-conscious firm chastised the owner of a circa 2005 Toyota Camry for parking his or her heap desirable and long lasting sedan amid the various premium rides in the company lot. Apparently, the firm wanted to know why the owner had not upgraded yet — after all, their salary allowed it.

The email may or may not have been false; last I recall, people were on the fence as to its authenticity. It doesn’t matter whether or not it was real, it suits our purposes either way.

Have you ever, during your long (or not so long) career arc, found yourself in a position where your employment standing suddenly glowed, but your daily driver’s tarnished lustre didn’t measure up? If so, did that create an image problem for you? What course of action did you take?